Spyware:
Spam and Viruses on Steriods
Henry Norris
Copyright 2004 Fountainhead Technology Services LLC

If you haven't yet had an encounter with spyware, well, you will. The demons of evil marketing are worse than viruses in many ways and can bring your computer crashing to a halt, use your internet connection to send spam, or invade your privacy and waste your time.

Spyware programs work underneath your browser, collecting and sending information about the websites you visit, delivering unwanted ad content, and making your computer run slower. They can add toolbars and utilities that you don't want and didn't install. They can run software and even alter your computer settings. Isn't that special?

Spyware is smart enough to hide on your hard drive if you try to remove it.

How Spyware Infects Your Machine

Spyware is often included with other software downloads so most people don't know they're getting these programs installed. Users unwittingly invite them onto their computers, believing they're getting something else.

In the words of one person:

"Unlike a virus, with spyware you may not even know you've been hit. I only found out when my ISP shut down my email account. Their technicians told me spyware on my machine had been flooding their servers for several days, all happening in the background while my PC was busy working for me in the foreground."

Fending off Spyware

Usually by downloading an anti-spyware software, you can repair your computer right away and get back to work.

Spyware is insidious - it can come looking like an officail email message from Microsoft, only to install a new toolbar you didn't want and hundreds of new spyware files and web browser pop-ups.

Beware Fake Anti-Spyware

Ever get that pop up window warning you that spyware had been detected and you urgently need software to remove it? Click and you unleash a vicious program masquerading as anti-spyware but actually is a parasite program that will run constantly, locking up your entire system.

How To Beat Spyware:

1. Be cautious about a download of any kind. It's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Many legitimate free programs include spyware in their downloads... it's how they pay their bills. Read the license agreement carefully before proceeding.

2. Get some good anti-spyware software as soon as possible. (See below). Run it frequently.

3. Be suspicious if you are offered a free demo version that requires you to pay for the full version before it will remove any spyware it finds on your system. The best anti-spyware software is totally free and you get the full working version.

4. Only use anti-spyware that has been recommended by your ISP or another trusted source. There are many scammers out there doing a convincing job of representing themselves as legit. Google and the other search engines have no way of separating these fakes from the real thing, so don't rely on search engine results to guide you.

5. Don't be hoodwinked by brand name sleight-of-hand, eg: Ada-ware instead of the excellent anti-spyware product Ad-aware.

Here's where you can get two of the most highly recommended and most frequently downloaded anti-spyware programs... they're freeware but accept donations and have advanced versions for sale. I personally run both at least one a week and they usually find at least a few spy files lurking on my computer:

Ad-aware

Spybot Search & Destroy

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Contact Information

Henry Norris, Founding Partner
hjnorris(at)fhtechnology.com
Phone - 919.341.1238

Henry Norris is the founding partner of Fountainhead Technology Services LLC, a Raleigh based provider of affordable internet and ecommerce solutions that enable businesses to leverage and position their internet presence.